System and Method for Wirelessly Rostering a Vehicle

ABSTRACT

A system and method for wirelessly generating a roster of drivers and passengers in transportation vehicles. A driver&#39;s or passenger&#39;s smartphone can communicate using short-range communications with the vehicle, or a smartphone in the vehicle, so that the ID associated with the phone can be linked to a vehicle ID, date and time stamped, and stored in a log or database. Any unauthorized person can be refused admittance (by not permitting the vehicle to start or otherwise being denied the right to be a driver or passenger). A downloaded application is used for this purpose. The invention also can include a secure, remote database as well as a mobile device such as a smartphone running the application, a wireless receiver/transmitter in the vehicle, and a wireless communication network such as a cellular network.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the field of transportationand more particularly to a system and method for automaticallygenerating a roster of who plans to drive, who is currently driving, whohas driven, and a list of passengers for a particular vehicle.

2. Description of the Problem

There are many instances where it would be valuable to track who hasdriven a vehicle and/or who has ridden in it as a passenger. This isespecially true with vehicles that need location and/or data tracking.This can include commercial and fleet vehicles as well as rental andother vehicles such as van pools, car sharing, school buses, otherbuses, taxis and private vehicles. While in many cases, a vehicle is anautomobile, truck or van, it may also be an aircraft, watercraft, trainor any other vehicle that has a driver or can carry passengers. In somecases, the vehicle may be an autonomous vehicle with no driver. In acommercial setting, while the monitoring and tracking of fleet vehicleshas been the subject of significant automation, the remaining tasks ofidentifying who takes out a vehicle and maintaining a passenger manifestcan often be a cumbersome, time-consuming process in which the driverhas to fill out forms and also get a key at a specific location oradministrative office. This can take a lot of time and is open to humanerror.

Certain vehicles, whether passenger cars, vans, buses, even planes andtrains, often have a list of authorized drivers, or pilots, and also alist of passengers. Passengers can be part of a known group (herein,those registered on a “passenger roster network,”), or, unknown, or aguest. Unknown riders can be invited to register on the passenger rosternetwork.

The manual process of rostering the vehicle, i.e., recording the name(s)or other identification of the driver (pilot, engineer, etc.) as well asall possible passengers can be tedious and error-prone. It is especiallydifficult to accomplish in vehicles where passengers may ingress oregress mid-route as part of the normal service, or where drivers maychange in-route.

It would be advantageous to have a system and method that couldautomatically and wirelessly roster a vehicle in real-time as drivers orpassengers enter or leave the vehicle. This can be done with modernwireless technology. With wireless communication from a mobile devicethat is logically connected to the device owner's identity, this processcan become easier, faster and less complicated while at the same timeadding security.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for automatically,and wirelessly, generating and keeping a roster of drivers andpassengers in transportation vehicles. A vehicle occupant recognitionmodule may operate by recognizing a driver's or passenger's cellulartelephone or smartphone. The wireless device, for example, a smartphone,can communicate using short-range communications, for example BLUETOOTH™or RFID that can be detected within the vehicle so that the IDassociated with the phone and corresponding to the occupant, can bedynamically associated to a vehicle ID, date- and time-stamped whenfirst recognized or for some interval of time. The associations arestored in a log or database.

In some embodiments, the vehicle occupant recognition module maycomprise cameras that monitor the driver's seat and/or passenger area(s)and use face recognition software or services to make identifications ofthe vehicle occupants. Face recognition by the vehicle occupantrecognition module can verify or supplant identifications made usingshort-range communication channels (e.g., BLUETOOTH, RFID).

In some embodiments, an unauthorized person can be refused transport bynot permitting the vehicle to start, or otherwise being denied thecapability of being a driver, and in some cases further being deniedbeing a passenger. Thus, the system can provide improved security inaddition to improved record keeping.

In other embodiments, a driver and/or passenger's smartphone may have anapplication or access to a web site tailored to interact with thevehicle occupant recognition module or rostering system. Suchinteractions may include any of enrolling a new user, which may includeregistering a photograph; registering a national ID, such as a passportor driver's license, communicating the phone ID to the occupantrecognition module, verifying a user (e.g., by entering a PIN code,password, or other security measure, which could be biometric). Therostering system further comprises access to a secure, remote databasewith a mobile device (such as a smartphone), in-vehicle computer, orother (e.g., desktop) computer running the application, a wirelessreceiver/transmitter in the vehicle allowing connection to the remoteportions of the rostering system, and uses a wireless communicationnetwork such as a cellular network. Communication between the smartphoneand the vehicle can be via short-range communications.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Several drawings are now presented to illustrate features of the presentinvention:

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an embodiment of the rostering system of thepresent invention used with a motor vehicle having an installed rostercapability.

FIG. 2 shows a possible time-sequence chart of events taking place whena driver enters a vehicle.

FIG. 3 shows a possible time-sequence chart of events taking place whena passenger enters a vehicle.

FIG. 4 shows a diagram of an embodiment that uses a “data mule”technique.

FIG. 5 shows an example of records stored in a remote database.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a vehicle on-board rostering system.

Drawings and illustrations have been presented to aid in understandingthe present invention. The scope of the present invention is not limitedto what is shown in the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system and method for automaticallygenerating and keeping a roster of drivers and passengers intransportation vehicles. By vehicle, we mean any road or off-roadvehicle, aircraft, train, watercraft or any other means oftransportation of any type, including heavy equipment, such as cranes.The present invention includes an occupant recognition module able todetermine drivers and/or passengers in a vehicle, date and time stamp inrecords stored in a log or database the occupants recognized. Further,in some embodiments, an unauthorized person can be refused admittance ortransport, e.g. by not permitting the vehicle to start if the driver isnot authorized, or if a passenger is not authorized, or otherwise beingdenied access as a driver or passenger. In some embodiments, this mayinclude unlocking the vehicle, so that only recognized, authorizedindividuals can open the vehicle with the occupant recognition module.

In a preferred embodiment, the occupant recognition module transactswith a driver's or passenger's cellular telephone or smartphone andcommunicates using short-range communications so that the ID associatedwith the phone (e.g., a media access control, or “MAC” address,BLUETOOTH™ device address, or “BDADDR” or other unique identifierassociated with the phone) can be dynamically associated with a vehicleID as an occupancy record. Over time, the occupancy records of a vehicleconstitute its roster.

In an alternative embodiment, cameras may monitor the driver's position(e.g., driver's seat) and/or may monitor the passenger area(s).

By passenger, we mean any person or animal or living thing that can beidentified. By driver, we mean any person capable, authorized, andpositioned (e.g., seated) to operate the corresponding vehicle includingan operator, pilot, engineer, conductor, captain or the like. Thus, byonly registering capable individuals as drivers, only authorizing theiruse of particular vehicles, the rostering system can determine when avehicle is being driven by a capable, authorized individual.

Some embodiments further limit driving access to only registereddrivers, for example by disallowing the vehicle to start unless anauthorized driver is detected. In some embodiments, an unauthorizedperson can be refused transport as a passenger by not permitting thevehicle to start, or otherwise flagging access by an unauthorizedpassenger (e.g., an audible or visible warning). Thus, the system canprovide improved security in addition to improved record keeping.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention uses a driver orpassenger's smartphone with a downloaded application that can betailored to this purpose. The preferred embodiment also can include asecure, remote database as well as a mobile device such as a smartphonerunning the application, a wireless receiver/transmitter in the vehicle,and a wireless communication network such as a cellular network.Communication between the smartphone and the vehicle can be viashort-range communications such as BLUETOOTH™ or other technique.

Certain vehicles, whether passenger cars, vans, buses, planes andtrains, often have a list of authorized drivers, or pilots, and also alist of passengers. Passengers can be part of a known group, or beunknown, or a guest. The passenger can be invited to or required todownload an application and immediately use their smartphone to registeron the passenger roster network. It is known in the art that owner's ofmobile devices can securely tie their identity to their device by virtueof a password and also by biometrics. Several companies, such as AppleInc. of Cupertino, Calif. with their Touch ID fingerprint reader intheir iPhone 6 smartphone, and LaserLock Technologies of Washington,D.C. with their VerifyMe™ smartphone application, offer ways to connectthe identity of a person to their mobile device using biometrics, suchas fingerprint, facial recognition, voice recognition, and the like.Although there can be exceptions, such as the case of a stolen or foundphone, it is true with a very high confidence level that a mobile devicecarried into a vehicle is probably being carried by its authenticatedowner. This could be confirmed by having a password or personalidentification number (PIN), in either case a token that the ownerknows, is also required to register a mobile device in a vehicle, andwhether this is required would be a matter of policy.

Once the ownership is created and verified, the mobile device can beused by the owner as an ID token that can wirelessly communicate with anon-board device and transmit data, such as a digital certificate, whichwas sent to the owner's mobile device over a wireless network. Thiscertificate can be used to open a car door or enable the vehicle to bedriven.

A particular embodiment of the present invention both allows access to avehicle by a driver, and registers non-drivers, i.e., passengers thatenter and exit the vehicle. This process includes location and date- andtime-stamp along with the secure ID of one or more of the mobile devicebearers. The combination of passenger identification, authentication,permission, location, entry and exit of a vehicle is very valuable datafor many classes of transportation asset owners, from parents who lettheir children take out the family car, to a school, or a corporation orgovernment agency that wants to track drivers and passengers who travelin their vehicles.

Typically, when a driver or passenger enters the vehicle, the ID dataacquired from their smartphone is sent to a remote server that canaccess a remote database of rules as to when driver or passenger'saccess is allowed or denied. The rules could also reflect the route andexpected time required to execute the route, and stations along theroute. For example, that database can contain the names and other IDinformation of authorized drivers (pilots, engineers, captains, etc.),and it can contain an allowed passenger list. In some embodiments of theinvention, arbitrary passengers are allowed to ride. In this case, newpassengers can simply be added to the roster with date/time stamps asthey enter or leave the vehicle. Any other pertinent information, suchas destinations, can also be stored in the database.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of one example embodiment of the presentinvention that uses a smartphone in communication with a vehicle, andthe vehicle in communication with a remote server and database. Apotential rider 1 possessing a cellular telephone or smartphone 2approaches a vehicle 4 in order to enter the vehicle. The smartphone 2communicates wirelessly 3 with the vehicle 4 using a low power localcommunication system like BLUETOOTH™, and more particularly with eithera computer or telematics system 9 in the vehicle 4. In turn, thetelematics system 9 communicates over a network 6, e.g., comprising theInternet, with a remote server 7 by using a wireless connection 5 suchas the cellular telephone system. The remote server 7 has access to aremote database 8 where the identity of the person 1 or telephone 2 canbe ascertained, and the fact that the person is riding can be logged.

It is not certain that every rider approaching a vehicle will have amobile device with wireless communication, such as a smartphone 2 havingBLUETOOTH™, near-field communications (NFC), and/or other wirelesscapability. Nor must every rider have downloaded the passenger rosterapplication into their smartphone, which is designed to communicatewirelessly with an on-board computer or telematics system 9. Therefore,an employee or guest, as potential rider 1, who wishes to travel invehicle 4 could receive a physical wireless tag, token or dongle, suchas an RFID tag 10, that is securely tied to their identity by virtue ofa driver's license, or passport, or some other acceptable photo ID. Thetoken could also be a tag or bracelet (as shown) to be worn by thepassenger during travel.

If the potential passengers do have a smartphone 2, the rosterapplication could be sent to them by the authorizing entity, or could betransmitted to their device via near field communication, such as “tapand share” known in the art. In this way, the on-board device couldfirst transfer the mobile phone application to a new passenger or driverand then, in the next step, accept that person as a passenger in thevehicle. Once the roster application is resident on the mobile phone, itcan be carried to other vehicles as an ID token.

The on-board computer or telematics system 9 can include a BLUETOOTH™ ornear-field communication (NFC) or some other wireless transmissioncapability 3, a local memory chip, clock, a form of external wirelesscommunication, such as a cellular modem, a global positioning system(GPS) receiver, and in some embodiments, a secure connection to accessto the operation of the vehicle. In a preferred embodiment, the on-boarddevice 9 can be integrated into the dashboard and internal operations ofthe vehicle. Examples of systems suitable to be adapted to incorporatethe present invention include vehicle dashboard systems such as ENTUNE™by Toyota, or ONSTAR™ by General Motors, and SYNC™ by Ford and others.

However, the proposed manufacturer integration of the present inventioncould take a long time. Therefore, a device 9 can also be provided withall of the above features. Such a device could be powered by a batteryof its own, or by connection to a power source in the vehicle. Such adevice may be mounted such that any passenger in the vehicle canwirelessly communicate with the on-board device 9, or touch the device 9with their mobile device. Device 9 could be present strictly to monitorthe passengers and entry and exit events and locations, but in otherembodiments could be connected to the vehicle in such a fashion as to beable to control (or inhibit) the operations of the vehicle, in this waybeing able to allow only authenticated drivers and passengers to travelin the vehicle. The device might also prevent the vehicle from startingor moving if an unregistered or unexpected individual is at the wheel,or if a passenger with a different destination is in the vehicle, or ifa passenger without a security clearance is in a vehicle headed for asecure area.

This might serve to limit the number of passengers, or the types ofpassengers, or not allow a vehicle to leave with passengers who are notintending to go to the same destination. The application may advise apassenger (or likewise, a driver) accordingly: “Hello, Jim. Sorry, butyou are on the wrong bus. This bus is headed to New Haven. You are goingto West Haven.”

In another embodiment, the on-board device 9 has a GPS and wirelesscommunication, such as BLUETOOTH™ and NFC; however, does not have awireless modem, perhaps for cost reasons. In this embodiment, one ormore traveler's mobile device 2 could act as a data carrier, or data“mule” as described in the present inventors' patent Ser. No. 13/429,439filed Mar. 26, 2012 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FINDING ANDACCESSING A VEHICLE FUELING STATION, INCLUDING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLECHARGING STATION”

This technique of allowing multiple, redundant, individual carriers ofdata back to the secure, remote database, can be more robust than asingle cellular modem transmitting from the vehicle.

The vehicle typically needs to have a local communication connectionavailable, to which any passenger in the vehicle running the applicationwould automatically connect (e.g., via BLUETOOTH™) so to be registeredas a passenger, as there can only be one driver in a typical motorvehicle. For watercraft and aircraft there can be multiple “pilots” andthe application can be configured to handle this if intended for“multi-pilot” vehicles. Thus, by virtue of existing mobile devices,existing BLUETOOTH™ technology in mobile devices and in vehicles, mobiledevice cameras, and a mobile device application, the present inventionoffers a method for securely gathering and communicating data aboutdrivers and passengers in a “transportation” event that could becombined with other vehicle location, date and time information to givea clear picture of specific vehicle, driver and passenger identificationand movement. The information can be carried and sent back to thesecure, remote server and database by any device that is running theapplication and is in communication with the vehicle or driver or anypassenger. It is possible that the same data is sent several time to theremote, secure server and the redundancy is parsed and removed at aback-end server.

FIG. 2 shows a driver registration transaction process 150, illustratingevents that can occur when a driver enters a vehicle. In this example,the person 1 in FIG. 1 is to be the driver of vehicle 4. The driver'ssmartphone 2 or other device 10, represented in FIG. 2 by vertical line100, communicates with the vehicle 4, represented by line 101, which inturn communicates with a remote server 7, represented by line 102 over anetwork. As the driver approaches the vehicle, the driver's smartphone 2pairs up or otherwise links 103 with the vehicle. The vehicleinterrogates 104 the driver's phone and demands ID. The ID can be storedin the phone, or more preferred, taken at that time such as afingerprint or other biometric ID. The driver's phone returns 105 the IDto the vehicle. The vehicle then sends a request 106 to a remote server.The remote server checks if the driver is allowed to drive thisparticular vehicle at this time. If so, the remote server returns anauthorization 107 to the vehicle. The vehicle's installed system thenunlocks or otherwise enables 108 the vehicle for driving. The remoteserver is notified 109 whereupon it logs the vehicle, driver, date,time, location and any other relevant information. The vehicle alsosends a clearance 110 to the driver's phone notifying that the vehicleis enabled and ready to drive. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, the driver might also be required to prove that he or she isin condition to drive, for example by blowing into a breathalyzerinstalled in the vehicle, or taking an alertness test, before thevehicle enables 108 itself for driving. A bad report in this case wouldnot only keep the vehicle disabled, but also send a message reportingthe fact to the remote server.

FIG. 3 shows a passenger registration transaction process 250,illustrating events that can occur when a passenger enters a vehicle 4.The passenger's smartphone 2 or other device 10, represented by line200, communicates with the on-board device in vehicle 4, represented byline 201, which in turn communicates with a remote server 7, representedby line 202, over a network. As the passenger approaches the vehicle,the passenger's smartphone pairs or otherwise links 203 with thevehicle, or a dongle carried by the passenger notifies the vehicle ofthe passenger's approach. The vehicle interrogates 204 the passenger'sphone or dongle and demands ID. The ID can be stored in the phone ordongle, or more preferred, taken at that time such as a fingerprint orother biometric ID. The passenger's phone returns 205 the ID to thevehicle. The vehicle then sends a request 206 to a remote server. Theremote server checks if the passenger is allowed to ride in thisparticular vehicle at this time. If so, the remote server returns anauthorization 207 to the vehicle. The remote server is notified 208whereupon it logs the vehicle, driver, date, time, location and anyother relevant information concerning the passenger. The vehicle alsosends a clearance 209 to the passenger's phone notifying that thepassenger can board. Likewise, a clearance 210 may be sent to the driver(the driver's smartphone is not shown in FIG. 3).

In another and least expensive embodiment shown in FIG. 4, there is norequired on-board device. This embodiment uses a data “mule”. The driver13 is running the authorized roster application on his smartphone 11.Smartphone 11 communicates with server 7 using a wireless connection 5(e.g., the cellular telephone system). Driver 13 designates that he isthe driver. He connects smartphone 11 with the vehicle BLUETOOTH™ system(not shown in FIG. 4) and is then known to be in the vehicle 4. Thisinformation is date and time stamped. The process can also includefacial recognition via a photographic image from the driver's smartphone11. This photographic image can be taken from a either forward orreverse camera on the smartphone and can also be a short video clip ofthe driver, and passengers, if any. There can be a simple smartphoneholder (not shown) on the dashboard, to hold smartphone 11 in positionwhile it intermittently takes images of the occupants from the frontcenter of the vehicle looking back into the cabin. Capture of facialimages and facial recognition processing are not required for the rostersystem of the present invention to work, but when added, provideadditional information about the driver, and passenger(s), if any. Inthis simplest embodiment the driver's mobile device 11 acts as theon-board device and simply needs to be running a version of the rosterapplication. The smartphone 2 of a passenger 1 in FIG. 4 communicatesover wireless connection 3 with the driver's smartphone 11 in accordancewith passenger registration transaction process 250 of FIG. 3, withsmartphone 11 performing in the role of the on-board computerrepresented by line 201. With respect to the driver registrationtransaction process 150 of FIG. 2, the driver's smartphone 11 takes onboth roles of the smartphone represented by line 100 and the on-boarddevice in vehicle 4, represented by line 101, with the result thattransactions 106, 107, and 109 are conducted between the server 7 andsmartphone 11.

In another embodiment, there is also no need for local communication,such as BLUETOOTH™, between the vehicle 4 and smartphone 11 (or 2).Secure identification of the vehicle 4 can be handled optically bytaking a picture of, or otherwise scanning, indicia such as a barcode,quick response (QR) code, the vehicle license plate, or the like, thatidentifies the vehicle. Smartphone barcode scanning and license platerecognition are well known in the art. The barcode scan of the vehicleby at least one person, such as the driver or any passenger running theapplication, will suffice. This data, along with GPS reading, or otherlocation data from the one or more smartphones running the applicationor in wireless contact with at least one phone in the vehicle that isrunning the application, can give location and vehicle identificationalong with a date and time stamp. This data can then be merged with moreoptical data from driver and passenger facial images captured by atleast one smartphone, preferably the driver's, and these facial imagesalong with location data from at least one or a multiple of smartphonesin the vehicle and date and time stamps, provide adequate information tothe remote server.

For the data “mule” method, this information is carried by one mobiledevice (or more, for redundancy) running the application. Images ofdriver and passenger faces can be taken intermittently, and the systemis fully programmable and flexible. Facial images can be directed to anyof several databases for identification, either a database voluntarilysubscribed to by passengers such as fleet drivers or other employees, orto other databases such as police, or military databases. In a secureaccess setting, the vehicle itself may wirelessly project, or broadcast,using an RF system, the identification of the driver and passengers itis carrying. Facial recognition cameras at the access point mightphotograph the interior of the vehicle in order to verify thebroadcasted roster.

The images can be taken openly or discretely, voluntarily orsurreptitiously, depending on the policy of the entity that owns thevehicle. In this embodiment, there is only need for a single, uniqueidentifier of the vehicle, such as a barcode or other indicia, onepassenger, preferably the driver, and in some cases only the driver, asmartphone with a camera that is running the roster application, somedata storage capability common to most smartphones, and a cell phonenetwork connection, which can be delayed or real-time.

For convenience, a centrally located “high on the dashboard” holder forthe smartphone running the application can be provided. Othersmartphones running the application, and carried by any of thepassengers, can also be gathering optical data from different angleswithin the vehicle adding to the robustness of the identificationprocess. Smartphones can also be facing out of the vehicle, and can betriggered to capture images and date and time stamps based upon reachinga specific location, on imaging a scene or light pattern outside thevehicle, such as a bridge or tunnel or intersection, and can also bebased on location as determined by at least one of the smartphones inthe vehicle.

FIG. 5 shows possible records that can be stored in the remote database.A passenger permit record 310 may comprise the passenger name 311; acode 312, such as a number or hash for that passenger; identificationinformation 313, e.g., a social security number or driver's licensenumber; biometric information 314, which can be representative of actualbiometric data, or a pointer to a separate biometrics file 316; andpermit information 315, which can be the actual permit data, or apointer to a permit file 317. The permit file 317 gives the allowedtrips that passenger is permitted to take along with dates and the like.When a passenger actually boards a vehicle, a trip record 300 can becreated. This contains the passenger's name 301, date 302, time 303,vehicle ID 304, pick up location 305, and destination 306. Theend-of-trip time or arrival time 307 can also be entered to close therecord. While FIG. 5 shows examples of a database, any database and anyrecords or entries are within the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows one example embodiment for an on-board vehicle rosteringmodule 400. This unit is either temporarily or permanently mounted orlocated in the vehicle 4. It includes a processor 401 which can be amicrocontroller, microprocessor, PC or other computer or processingunit. The processor 401 interfaces with memory 402. This may be RAM,ROM, Flash, Disk or any other type of memory. The memory 402 may belocated in the processor 401, or it may be external. The processor 401is in electrical communication with a short-range wireless communicationmodule 404, for example a BLUETOOTH™ communication module. When thewireless system is radio, the communication system 404 has one or moreantennae 405.

The processor 401 can optionally communicate through a vehicle interface403 and connector 406 with a vehicle computer system or telematicssystem. In such an embodiment, the vehicle telematics system can providewide area communication (e.g., cellular data services as in wirelessconnection 5 in FIG. 1), location (e.g., via the vehicle's GPS), andnavigation.

The on-board rostering system 400 can optionally include a GPS receiver407 with a GPS antenna 408. This allows the on-board unit 400 toindependently determine location. The memory 402 may contain map orlocation information. The processor 401 may be connected to one or morecameras 410 in the vehicle. This connection can be wired or wireless.

Memory 402 may also store audio greetings or announcements to be playedthough a speaker 409. The in-vehicle experience can include a voice thatgreets the passengers by first name, first and last name, or ananonymous recognition if a passenger does not wish his or her nameannounced. This salutation from the in-vehicle device can be both forpassengers entering or exiting the vehicle. The acknowledgment could beas simple as a beep. Further, passengers could listen to the driving,piloting history of the driver or pilot. Such information could also berelayed to a passenger's smartphone. Such reports could also be offeredfor the history of the vehicle itself. Based on each passenger'sprofile, and company policy, information about each passenger could alsobe shared with the driver and among the other passengers. Contactinformation could be voluntarily shared via the application, usingwell-known interfaces such as “tap and share”. The passenger nameinformation either comes through the vehicle via its own cellular modemfrom server 202 (e.g., at step 207 in FIG. 3), or can come from thepassenger's smartphone 200 when the passenger is first entering avehicle (e.g., at step 205 in FIG. 3). This also applies in the data“mule” case, where the driver's smartphone 11 is used for the vehicle'srole (i.e., line 201). This initial event would happen each time apassenger communicates for the first time with the in-vehicle, rosterdevice. If the device is moved from one vehicle to another, thepassenger list remains resident within the vehicle device, but now thedevice knows that it is associated (paired) with a new vehicle, based ona new vehicle ID number obtained by direct communication with thevehicle.

The data “mule” technique is particularly valuable in vehicles that donot have internal cellular modem contact with a remote network, or forcustomers who do not want to pay for an in-vehicle device that includesa cellular modem and the corresponding fees required for that dataconnection. The data “mule” in-vehicle device only needs to have “local”(short-ranged) wireless connections, for example via BLUETOOTH™. Suchconnections can include the vehicle's on-board system, thus representingthe rostering device's current association with a vehicle, and eachpassenger's smartphone or other mobile device. The passenger connectioncan be unambiguously initiated with a “tap and share” connection thatcan include a unique digital certificate, which technology is known inthe art.

Embodiments of the present invention use a plurality of localcommunication enabled devices, such as BLUETOOTH™, installed invehicles. Passengers can register and pick up secure, encryptedoccupancy records (e.g., passenger permit record 310, or trip record300) from any in-vehicle device and then data “mule” that passengeroccupancy data to server 7: the passenger's name, facial image(s), otherbiometrics, such as fingerprints, vehicle identification, date and timestamp and location(s) back to the network and a remote server. They canalso data “mule” this data for other passengers.

The present invention can also get driver's/pilot's records whenpassengers arrive on-board. “That is how Roster looks out for you.” “Weresearch safety records and statistics for the informed passenger”. Or,the system can give a “Risk factor” from 1 to 10, or unknown, for travelsomeone is about to undertake.

The present invention can be used to verify car sharing and get specialdiscounts, or be part of a discount or loyalty program. The vehicle anddriver can also automatically be tied to an entry/exit or fueling eventbased on time stamp and location from GPS contained in the in-vehicledevice. The system could also include and project access information forpassengers in a vehicle approaching an access point. This could also betied to a License Plate Recognition (LPR) system. The LPR system matchesin-vehicle device ID and the data the vehicle broadcasts containingdriver and passengers ID's.

In some embodiments, the on-board device can be moved from vehicle tovehicle, if desired. If the vehicle does not give a unique ID codeautomatically via local communication, or machine-readable indicia arenot available to be scanned by the device, then a unique code can bekeyed in as part of inter-vehicle transfer.

For example, the device can be sent a code describing which vehicle itis now in, or, a preferred embodiment, the device can pair and bond witha vehicle's installed local communication system, much in the same way asmartphone can pair with a vehicle's microphone and speakers forhands-free telephony. Once this is done, the device is bonded to thatvehicle until it is removed and becomes a receiver/transmitter for thenext, current target vehicle to record all of the data about the driverand passengers, such as their itinerary and when they entered or exitedthe vehicle.

The present invention is also a valuable tool for driver-less,autonomous vehicles as access and passenger information and trackingwill be required in many cases.

In general, the on-board rostering system uses portable telephones forID capture, and may use cameras and face recognition. Communication iswith a secure, remote database. The system can manage drivers and/orpassengers. In some embodiments, the vehicle will not start or otherwisefunction if the driver or another occupant is not authorized. In somecases, the system will communicate that a seat is occupied, by virtue ofa seat “weight” sensor, which is known in the transportation industry,but the occupant has not been identified or recognized by the system. Insome embodiments, the vehicle may be allowed to proceed and merely logthe information; in other embodiments, departure may be prohibited untilan identification of the occupant can be successfully completed. Severaldescriptions and illustrations have been presented to aid inunderstanding the present invention. One with skill in the art willrealize that numerous changes and variations may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. Each of these changes andvariations is within the scope of the present invention.

We claim:
 1. A method of automatically generating a roster of driversand passengers for a particular vehicle comprising: establishingcommunication between a driver or passenger's telephone and the vehiclewhen the driver or passenger approaches the vehicle; demanding personalID information from said driver or passenger; receiving personal IDinformation via said communication from the telephone; verifying thepersonal ID information with a remote computer accessing a remotedatabase; prohibiting the driver from driving the vehicle, or thepassenger from riding in the vehicle, when the personal ID informationis insufficient or incorrect to grant access according to a stored setof access rules.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said communication isshort-range wireless communication.
 3. The method of claim 2 whereinsaid communication is by BLUETOOTH™.
 4. The method of claim 1 whereinsaid personal ID information includes biometric data.
 5. The method ofclaim 1 wherein said personal ID information includes a photographicimage.
 6. The method of claim 4 wherein said biometric data is measuredin response to said demanding.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein saidcommunication with the vehicle is established using a wireless devicecarried by said driver.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein saidprohibiting includes disabling said vehicle.
 9. The method of claim 1further comprising requiring said driver approaching the vehicle to alsotake a test showing capability to drive the vehicle.
 10. A system forgenerating and maintaining a roster of drivers and passengers for aparticular vehicle comprising: a first, short-range communicationssystem acting in cooperation with a processor in said vehicle, saidprocessor in the vehicle also cooperating with a second communicationssystem adapted to allow communication between said processor and aremote server over a network; a wireless application comprisingexecutable instructions adapted to be downloaded into a smartphonecarried by a driver or passenger, said wireless application executingsaid instructions on the smartphone adapted to access personal ID datafrom that smartphone, and wirelessly communicate said personal ID datato the processor in the vehicle when the driver or passenger is inproximity to said vehicle; said processor in the vehicle configured tocommunicate the personal ID data over said second communications systemto the remote server, and configured to receive from the remote serveraccess authorization to said vehicle; said processor in the vehicleadapted to either allow or deny access to said vehicle to either thedriver or the passenger.
 11. The system of claim 10 wherein saidpersonal ID data includes biometric data.
 12. The system of claim 10wherein said personal ID data includes a photographic image.
 13. Thesystem of claim 10 wherein said short-range communications isBLUETOOTH™.
 14. The system of claim 11 wherein said wireless applicationin the smartphone requires measuring said biometric data beforecommunicating said ID.
 15. The system of claim 10 wherein said secondcommunications system uses a cellular telephone network.
 16. A method ofautomatically generating a roster of drivers and passengers for aparticular vehicle comprising: establishing communication between adriver or passenger's telephone and the vehicle when the driver orpassenger approaches the vehicle; demanding personal ID information fromsaid driver or passenger; receiving personal ID information via saidcommunication from the telephone; verifying the personal ID informationwith a remote computer accessing a remote database; prohibiting thedriver from driving the vehicle, or the passenger from riding in thevehicle, when the personal ID information is insufficient or incorrectto grant access according to a stored set of access rules; wherein saidpersonal ID information includes biometric data; and, wherein saidprohibiting includes disabling said vehicle.